Celebrating 25 Stages of Solidarite Booklet

7/29/2019 Celebrating 25 Stages of Solidarite Booklet

1/16

Celebrating

of Solidarit25 stages

. . . the journey so far !


2/16

Solidarit is a humanitarian activities and

social awareness activity started by the

trainees of the European Commission which

facilitates and encourages involvement in

benevolent humanitarian and social activities.

Its Mission is to support and provide

opportunities to :

D pri miri vrwork in our communities

Irs wrss f miriand social issues, and

Ris rsrs p miriand social issues

Its through our common feelings and shared humanity that we are most

connected... and through which we learn that in many ways, we are all the same.

(Tim, 2010)


3/16

Information does not

easily change people

- experience does.

(Angela, Summer

2008)

Solidarit is cellebrating its activities over 25 consecutive

Traineeship periods. This booklet is a tip of the iceberg celebra-

tion of what it has done.Sidri is ms sigi, vis d sssf pr-gram ever undertaken by trainees on the largest, longest run-

ning and most prestigious traineeship program in the world.

It has been informally inherited and run by trainees themselves

each Traineeship period. It was begun by trainees on the

1998/99 Traineeship and since then carried out approximately

60 different types of humanitarian and social projects, some

ongoing from Traineeship to Traineeship.

Up to 200 trainees have been involved in Solidarit projects in

some way each traineeship - ranging from collecting clothes for

the p d the s wes te see i Cmmissi cesto 55 trainees cycling 170 km together to raise money for street

children in Nepal.

It operates as a sub-committee of the Association of Trainees of

the Cmmissi which is cmmittee tiees epesetigother trainees, formed each traineeship.

See cuet me Cmmissies, Pesidet Bss,me Pesidet the Eupe Pimet, Hs-Get Pet-teig d He Mjest, the Quee the Begium he beeinvolved in or aware of Solidarit, often opening events or pre-

senting fundraising cheques.

Solidarit has attempted, purely through the private volition

of consecutive trainees for 25 Stages; to enshrine the leg-

acy and promotion of humanitarian and social conscious-

ness in one of the most unique and continuous streams of

ig qid, mi-ig, ig ivig d mbiisassemblies of potential future leaders and policy-makers

anywhere in the world. This opportunity is without parallel.

Your world is yours to change

SolIDaRIt IntRoDuctIon

Solidarit is also about

taking the opportunity to

share yourself.(Ei, Wite 2003/4)

It is an extremely

enriching and rewarding

experience. Its

rs im I vparticipated in this kind

of charity activities, but

Im delighted to take

part in it and hope to

continue even after the

Traineeship.


4/16

The Solidarit philosophy stems from the wise words of the

mother of a former trainee:

Solidarit is the result of the practical application of this simple philosophy.

It ws ispied b the beie tht it wud be mgicet t deep mes b which thisattitude of helping others in simple ways, was inspired in, and available directly and in a

pctic w t the pepe shpig u wd wig t the Eupe Ui Istitutis.

The best way to be happy is to just go out and live

your life and be a good person. Dont worry about

what people think.

The world is yours to change, but dont worry about

trying to save the whole world, just think globally

and act locally, and play your little part.

Sometimes its the smallest action that can make adifference. besides you get back what you give,

and the action itself can be incredibly fullling.

SolIDaRIt PhIloSoPhy

The Solidarit experience made my Traineeship...it provided me with a sense of

empowerment and a feeling of hope and optimism, the idea that we really can change

things both at grass roots and at policy level - in short its pretty mind blowing!


5/16

Love, freedom,good and beauty

Rsp fr idivid

Pp-crd Srvi

Integrity

cmmim d abii

Trust

Leadership and Teamwork

Transparency and being Impact Focussed

SolIDaRIt ValueS

Solidarit gave me so much!! my job, and whole career was due to that, I would have not

g m rs ps if I d b i Sidri.. I w s m.. giv, g.. tsdamned cloakrooms, endless meetings in the hairy canary, going to the old peoples home,being audited in such a nice and professional way.... what a great time! Long live Solidarityd lg iv Dvid Brs!!!

(Jess, Sidit Tesue, Wite 2001-2)


6/16

h Sidri frids, sfor your continued spirit and

i! Im dig i g set up a program for young

people in my small area run by

our government organisation,

with my own laptop, desk,

phone and promotional t-shirt,

so I dont know how youve

kept managing to do it for

the whole world with none of

the above. Keep at it, good

thoughts are forthcoming.(Che 2004)

Pjects ctiities he ged m gisig d ptici-

pating in sporting events with orphans or refugees to singingin the street to raise funds for those in need. Such as:

1. Arranging forams Iri cards and letters toPises Csciece t be siged d witte t p-ties now thats a cool party.

2. Hepig t axii to teach the disabled, sick or sociallyexcluded.

3. The c Rm/ Vsiir - Wh cud get this e Whees tht sc! We u the cm t scievents and Trainee parties to raise money and awareness

for those in need.

Sidit Pjects d gd deeds t hep thes dmake a positive difference in our world - believing that

every small action makes a difference.

They are based on community and common humanity,

aiming to bring about social change and improve

peoples lives, and may aim to help both local andglobal causes.

They involve positive social or uplifting activities.

Hds- utee w is usu cussed local communities in the vicinity of those involved,

awareness-raising and resource-raising activities focus

on both local and worldwide interests.

SolIDaRIt PRojectS


7/16

The essence of Solidarit is that

you dont have to be Mother

Teresa to make a wonderful

diffr i r wrd. Rr,that you always make a difference

when you play your part and

that it doesnt take much to make sigi diffr w

everyone plays a part.

(Did, Wite 98/99)

4. cs/ts/Gms/B ci afantastic project to help the poor Thou-

sands of toys, books and truckloads of

clothes collected to help others. This isCentral to DG COMP, come in DG COMP.

DG COMP, DG COMP? DG COMP, thetruck is coming to your DG to pick up yourstuff, get your ^&%$ out to meet the truck!

5. l Pi c, cete i Bussesthat hosts about 800 refugees and asylum

seekers - activities or outings for the chil-

dren, teaching computer classes, helping

with homework, arts and crafts, picnics

and games and generally sharing posi-

tive energy. I had one of the most fun af-ternoons there in about 10 years playinghide and seek around the chateau with thekids I couldnt remember the last time Ilaughed so much.

6. Service with the Little Sisters of the

Prde pepes hme i Busses home for those who are on a pension and

cant afford any other care facility - we help

with food and company, we hope we havethe same in our last days!

7. Missionnaires de la Charit: hep MtheTeresas Sisters prepare and serve a meal

and friendship for the homeless and peo-

ple of disadvantaged backgrounds.

were all trying to make this

world better. Every day people

are awakening and I hope we can

i is prss. I ws,we are bringing the world to the

light again. So, Solidarite, continue

r i wr, m frids. Gr

achievements begin with humility.(Fabian 2008)

SolIDarIT IS aBoUT SIMPlE

aCTIonS THaT MakE a

DIffErEnCE


8/16

8. nr Dm x Ris cirs - teach-ing computer skills and languages at the

community of Notre Dame aux Riches-

Cies i Busses.

9. Solidarit humanitarian and socialawrss Risig Prs: confer-ences, petitions, discussions, photo-

gphic ehibitis, m estis, theEupe Stgiie Ju (ESJ),luchtime Discussi Gups.

10. Cooking to raise money and awareness

specic cuse: the Cies k-sovo project for example saw a team

of trainees calling their mothers aroundEupe ecipes d hppi bigcookies together all weekend sold to

st t suppt ks.

11. Brsss hf Mr we trained,we carbo-laoded, we designed the t-shirt

and we ran, (ok, and walked) as a huge

team for a cause.

12. Ss D csss learn to danced meet ieds i Cmmissi C-ference room at lunchtime, and at the

same time show solidarity with those in

need by raising awareness and funds

those that step on land mines.

Rgrdig sbmissifor the Central Charity

fd fr assiifr Df cidr hr Wrd, i Pd: Iremember when I heard

that my project won (at

the farewell conference)

- I was crying - that

was amazing for me

that among so manyprojects, mine won (for a

foundation from a small

vig i Pd)! evnow my heart is touched.

Bs grigs,

(J, Summe 2003)


9/16

For me, Solidarity was like a life boat in the either too stormy or too calm waters of the stage.It allowed me to work on something that I really believe in, something with a greater purpose,

but which is also done in a fun and friendly atmosphere. It took a lot of work - probably more

m frm ss (d is m dvisr ;-P ) - b i ws d wi sismd psiiv driv. crdiig rs Sidri Prm tm vr ws gr for me, as I was always informed about was going on in the whole Committee and worked

wi wdrf grp f dsigrs d PR fids. Sig i f fr rs work on the 10th version of a poster was just part of the game, and Ive never felt so proud

as when receiving nice comments on the newsletter ads we were publishing every week.

Co-coordinating the Solidarity 25th stage celebration was the cherry on the cake, allowing me

to contribute to the crowing of 12 years and a half of Solidarity efforts, a colourful, fun andenergetic event like the Commission has never seen before!!I really hope that Solidarity will

not only continue to be passed on from stage to stage, but also become better, stronger and

bigger, making a positive change in the lives of even more people!

(I, Wite 2010/11)

nGos t he eceied suppt mSolidarit extend as far as np (a child

welfare scheme), India (programs for

street children and providing medical relief

to inhospitable regions of northern India),

the formerSvi Rpbi f Grgi(funding in support of an orphanage for

neglected and abandoned mentally and

physically disabled children) and Kosovo(fundraising for refugees via the Interna-

ti red Css d MSf).

Prs Risig Rsrs - One way Solidaritexpresses its concern for the problems faced by less

fortunate people is by raising resources and trying

to use it wisely for humanitarian purposes.

We he suppted pepe d pjects

all over the world.

FInanceS

Solidarit also provides

ways of creating balance

professionally,

socially and personally...

based on the simple

principal, that if you want to

be happy; help others.

(Ptici, Wite 2007/8)


10/16

Its a project that can be supported in a uni-

ed w which eceies 30% the pts the Cmmissi Tieeship ntiPties (d the udisig). EupeThid Wd, gisti EU ciscollecting a percentage of staff income to

support aid and social projects outside the

Union, now helps with the impletation of this

initiative.

Cpeti with ETW heps Sidit sup-port a wide variety of projects in developing

countries. It helps with the assessment of

project proposals and the monitoring of the

projects supported thanks to staff and train-

ees in solidarity.

Becuse Sidite hs bse, it hsbee hd t cect ccumutie cigues. Sidite, i gee d thugh

the CCf hs ised hudeds thu-sds Eus chities: m Misdets reie Mie Heiette, shete hmeess chide i Begium (1,500);t PrEDa, nGo wig with chidei seu epitti i the Phiipies(21,000); t the He the Wd fud-tion, a program for the hearing impaired in

Pd (10,076.51) d it hs s giee 10,000, empe, t: Mic-ce

pjects the p i Meic; ehbiit-ti pgm d mie ictims i Cm-bdi; educti pgm ictims the Gecide i rwd; phge iGegi d shete t eed d eductechide i Bzi.

The Solidarit Central Charity Fund (CCF) has

been a fund organised each Traineeship period

tht cects ci suppt e demcti-cally selected humanitarian project carried out by

-pt gisti.

Brv pr SolIDaRIte.

jis r d i assistant la remise du

cheque pour lassociation

qui lutte contre

lexploitation sexuelle

ds fs. j ris qle mouvement est pris et

que cela continuera pour

pri sg. trsamicalement!

EaCH nEW SET of TraInEES arE THE CUrrEnT rEPrESEnTaTIvES of PaST

GEnEraTIonS - SolIDarIT PlaCES ParTICUlar IMPorTanCE on THEParTICIPaTIon of nEW TraInEES froM EaCH TraInEESHIP anD a lIaISon To

THEM InvITInG oWnErSHIP of ITS STrUCTUrE, InforMaTIon anD valUES.

THIS HaS ConSTanTly BEEn a CHallEnGE.


11/16

I was in winter stage 2002 and took part in Solidarit activities throughout the

5 months: soup kitchen, cloakrooms, website, etc. I found it was great way of

meeting other stagiaires who shared the same values and drive to help others.

It was also a lot of fun and I cannot recall exactly how many evenings we spent

drinking coffees and beers at the pub while working for one or other Solidarit

vs. I di md m sg frgb xpri d gv i mrhuman-focused taste!

(Silvie, Summer 2002)


12/16

Sme es g me tiee met MtheTees i Ccutt. She spe the phsi-

c pet pepe i the Est d thespiitu pet pepe i the West. Shespoke of how we are happy when we give.

She spoke of how when we have an experi-

ece giig d hepig thes, we dmeaning in ourselves and our existence

and this was one of the inspirations to begin

Solidarit...

Solidarit was begun by trainees very sim-

p t the Tieeship opeig Ceecein October 1998 with a notepad and a pen,

walking around during a wine and cheese

reception taking the names of people who

expressed an interest in humanitarian and

charitable activities.

It has been an extra-curricula activity of the

trainees with the aim of using the skills and

gifts of potential future leaders and policymakers to help others and to raise their

awareness of humanitarian and social is-

sues.

On the rst Stage (Oct98-Mar99) we just

sat in ECHO, in rue Belliard 68, on Tuesday

evenings like it was the 1960s. The Director

would walk passed the door and look in (I

still havent worked out what that look was).

The conception du projet of Solidarit oc-curred. A bunch of people with similar ideals

became friends and worked hard to providea link with the rest of the Stage to perform

small humanitarian activities and to makethe most of the goodwill and energy on the

Stage.

It was realised that the initiative should be

pssed . the me Hed the Cm-

missi Tieeships ce, J Sctt, theEupe Cmmuit Humiti oce(ECHo), specic the me Diect ECHo, abet n, the me as-

This all began as a day dream, listening and looking.

It continues because people dream, listen, look and act.

SolIDarIT ProvIDES

a STrUCTUrE WHICH

SUPPorTS PraCTICal

oPPorTUnITIES To HavE

oWnErSHIP for aCTIvITIES

To HElP oTHErS anD To BE

ExPoSED To anD InCrEaSE

UnDErSTanDInG of

HUManITarIan

anD SoCIal ISSUES.

hoW It all BeGan


13/16

t Fr-GrmVis pr (drigwhich I was nominally

in charge of an army of

Solidarit comrades in the

cloakroom) will foreverremain engrained in my

memory, thanks to adrenalin

rushes caused by pretending

that lost garments were in

fact completely not lost and

in utterly competent and safe

hands, copious amounts of

cheap white wine, the cameo

appearance of a set of camel

lips and the perfect timing

3 m f Rig Sid FrdsIm too sexy blaring across

pd d r.

(name withheld, no idea why)

sistt t the Diect, Dtiee CesBet d the me assistt t theStge C-dit Heidi fhm, shedthe vision of Solidarit and were supportive

of its development. They saw possibilities to

get things done and empathised with the

values of Solidarit to make it possible for tiee im emi t the Cmmis-sion for 6 months after their Stage in order

to develop Solidarit and pass it on to the

future.The second Traineeship of Solidarit

(M99-Ju99) ws teie w-shop incorporating ideas and developing a

system so that it could last and be an integral

pt the Stge the Cmmissi.

The second Traineeship of Solidarit(M99-Ju99) ws teie w-shop incorporating ideas and developing a

system so that it could last and be an integral

pt the Stge the Cmmissi.

Thus, Solidarit was set up to belong to every

tiee withi the Cmmissi - wheeb 600completely new trainees would come and go

ee e mths with e itte pes t pe-son contact from the trainees of one Trainee-

ship period to the next to continue to develop

and work on Solidarit.

An informal request was made of the Train-

eeship oce duig this time m sup-pt Sidit (d gi i 2003) d thisdeemed to be beyond the resources available.

SolIDarIT ProJECTS anD aCTIvITIES aIM To

MakE SMall HUManITarIan anD SoCIal aCTIonS

MorE aCCESSIBlE anD EnCoUraGE THE SHarInG

of a onES aBIlITIES, BraInS, IDEaS, IMaGInaTIon,

HanDS, PoSITIvE aTTITUDE, laUGHTEr anD TIME

To Do SoME SIMPlE GooD DEEDS UnDEr THEPrInCIPlE THaT eVeRy SMall actIon MakeS a

DIFFeRence In MoRe WayS than one.


14/16

a cp Mste fie ctiig wws et with ECHo d the Tieeship o-ce. I Septembe 1999, espsibiitfor Solidarit though was left in the hands of

Association of Trainees Summer 99 Liaison

Cmmittee i de t pss it t the Wi-

ter 99/2000 Traineeship and from there ontoall future traineeships in the same manner.

Since then, Solidarit has been passed on

from Traineeship period to Traineeship. It is

re-formed each traineeship period and con-

tinues to be run independently by trainees

that wish to get involved. Its existence and

therefore activities are dependent on the

interest and involvement of trainees each

Traineeship period.

I octbe 2003, tiee psiti ws ce-ated allowing a trainee to work part-time

each Traineeship period for Solidarit. This

position was discontinued after a few years.

Over the last 12.5 years, 25 Stages, Soli-

darit has continued to exist and do

many good deeds because it is real and

good and because there have been peo-ple ready during their traineeship to step

forward and to work together to run it in

its true spirit.

Trainees have walked the talk and had

a great time over the years. They have

dreamed, been brave and faced fears in

order to inspire others and to help others

they have had some very moving and mean-

ingful moments and they have at times beencompletely disheartened and they have

said I will not give up they have shared a

swit Guiess d bgs chips die

SolIDarIT EnCoUraGES

PEoPlE To UTIlISE

ITS STrUCTUrE anDrESoUrCES To rEflECT

THEIr oWn IDEalS

anD aSPIraTIonS anD

To BUIlD UPon THE

knoWlEDGE, ExPErIEnCE

anD ProGrESS MaDE

WITH HUManITarIan anD

SoCIal ProJECTS By

SolIDarIT In THE PaST.


15/16

Solidarit has been an

experience full of joy and

enthusiasm and - at times of

pain it has been an invitation

to go beyond my limits and

out of myselfin order to reach

out to others. It has taught

me the meaning of tolerance,

fraternity, compassion, charity

and patience towards othersbut also towards myself. It

has made me aware of the

fact that in the end what one

gives is what one gets and that

we are all a part of the Whole

and that that Whole is in you

and me. It has shown me how

sharing, caring and relating

to others shows you how you

relate to yourself and that the

respect and love towards othersbrings you to a higher form of

yourself. It has revealed to me

the huge potential that I have

and how this potential expands

when it is shared in a group

or community. Solidarit has

helped me in relationships

with others to know myself

br d d wi

path I want to take in my life.a i i s b prisexperience that has left a

profound imprint on me.

(Iee d Mii 98/99)

to both celebrate successes or to plan how

to share humanity within the commission...

at times its been like an action movie with

thousands of emails and calls at all hours of

the day planning and organising and usingtheir hands for others.

The transient nature of the Stage has always

peseted cheges; with imti st simp t pssed d the dicut d-ing practical things and the reinvention of the

wheel each Stage. There has been a little

help from former trainees around the world

t ispie ew tiees; t et them wsuch things as dont spend energy rede-signing a logolook in the bottom drawerof a particular former stagiaires desk on the

4th oor of a different DG to you and see

if there is still a CD marked logo!...or, thebroom at the soup kitchen is kept behind the

cupboard marked linen (just call and ask for

Larry, Sister Dina or Sister Bonaffortunata,

the number is on a post it note in the stage

committee ofce). There is no permanentpresence of Solidarit and the challenges

d ieciecies iuece its eectieessconsiderably.

Yet, successful it remains! Pimithrough deeds not words, Solidarit just

does simple good deeds to help make the

world a better place. Trainees involved in

Sidit Pjects he hessed pe-

ples skills and continually provided a goodexample to civil society in helping others,

they have improved lives and helped peo-

pe t gss ts ee i Begium, thehe ised hudeds thusds Eu chit d mst sigict, the hecontributed somewhat to an elevation of

consciousness of trainees about humanitar-

ian and social issues around the world ...and

they did something about these issues theyshared thoughts, time, energy, prayers, food

and hands in helping the spirit of Solidarit to

ie d t gw; u ee w whee suchblessings stop. Thank you to all!


16/16

The dream...

We would love to share Solidarit with

the staff and trainees of all the European

ui Isiis. trg spprigand helping to provide creative and easily

accessible opportunities to be involved

together in benevolent humanitarian

and social activities, Solidarit hopes to

make a positive difference in our world

and, essentially, to foster this spirit of

humanitarian and social consciousness

and action within and amongst current and

future leaders and policy-makers.

The full realisation of what a large groupof multi-cultural individuals can achieve if

their energy is coordinated and united is a

resource and opportunity that is worthy of

thought and encouragement.

Celebrating 25 Stages of Solidarite Booklet

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